This year, I knew nearly every one of the candidates and had taught almost all of those at one point or another. The event was even more special for me as I was sponsoring one of the young men. While COVID and other issues have made it difficult for us to spend a lot of time bonding, it has been nice to share my faith, answer questions, and get to know him outside of our normal school environment.
Confirmation is a special sacrament as it offers the candidates a chance to publicly join the faith. As the sacrament of Baptism usually takes place when they were infants, the process toward Confirmation allows the candidates to examine our faith more closely and decide if it is the path that they wish to follow. As a sponsor, I had the chance to examine and explain my own part in the Catholic Church as well as my relationship with the Lord. I learned from this process as well.
I pray that the gifts of the Holy Spirit which these candidates publicly accepted take root in their daily lives. May their faith and love for God and His Creation continue to grow. May they help to make our world a better place.